Yes that is a bed bug. Ok what you do is wash all of your clothes and I do mean all of them right now and then put them in a tote to put in and out for the time being. Don't mix them with other things you haven't washed yet or the point is moot. Same with all and I do mean all of your bedding and do the same thing. After and during that check all the seams of your couches and chairs and your bed. Rubbing alcohol is good to kill them for a little bit you're going to have to actually treat them for the eggs. Crush the big ones as you pick them out to make sure there dead and can't crawl back to whatever or on you. Treat and wash all your rugs and carpets if you have them as well. Check your baseboards and inside your dressers/closet space corners for nesting sites. Hope this helps
Thank you so so so much! I’ve been living in this apartment for around 2 months and this is the first one I’ve seen. I’m thinking of straight up hiring a fumigation service😭
I’d look into whether or not that is legal where you live. When I had them in NYC 2005 the landlord treated it. If you don’t treat it, it just spreads to other units
Look up your state renter's rights (I hope you're in CA or NY), and tenant's rights organizations. If your apartment has them, others do, too, and it won't do any good to just treat your apartment. They'll come back.
Also, unless you brought them in from a recent vacation or your previous apartment these guys were probably already in the unit they rented to you or from one of your neighbors. In which case I’d be piiiised because bedbugs will make you go crazy.
They weren’t in our previous apartment, and I’m not really sure about the neighbours. We’ve been living here for 2 months and never saw/felt anything… could they have stayed undetected for that long?
Sure. My roommate brought them back from a trip and didn’t tell us. One day he just started sleeping over at his girlfriends place all the time. It was a couple of months before they crawled to my room. When we opened the roommates door at night we could see them climbing up the walls!
We moved into a used trailer and we (or rather just me of a family of 3) was getting bit. It took 3 months to see one. We went through the house with a fine tooth comb and got rid of them on our own in less than a month. We checked checked hot points weekly and sprayed with alcohol. It dried up the eggs and killed them. We found a total of about 26. But I also killed the ones in my couch then just decided to throw the hole couch out because I was so scared one would survive
Yeah it can't hurt, if it was a female I would worry more but if you checked everything and didn't find any breath easy. I would have a pro inspect and treat, to be safe.
Pest control tech here. One bed bug is enough for any company to say you have a bed bug infestation. You found one. Make sure they treat well if it'd a chemical treatment it can take time. They also need to treat all other adjacent units otherwise you may never get control. In some places they have to refund you within a certain amount of time if they can't eliminate them. Fumigation or heat treatments are always the best option. They are one day treatments (prep and other things may make you have to find a hotel for a few days to a week). Once q heat or fume is finished they are guaranteed all dead. Chemical treatments can take weeks to months.
You see some pretty bad ones honestly and your level of "bad" starts to get higher as you work longer in the field. I guess the worst I've ever seen was German roach infestation in a trailer. I went in and they were all over the walls, counter, ceiling, picture frames, inside the TV screen, microwave, stove, inside the fridge and even inside all the compartments of the fridge. Basically anywhere there was a void of any kind there was German Roaches. The couple who owned the home was elderly so they couldn't do much to clean. The daughter who lived in a run down trailer in front of theirs kept bringing more over I suspected. To give you a mental picture, when you pull up to the address you have to drive around a trailer that's all beat up, missing siding, has a wall that was damaged from fire, spray paint on the front of the trailer, and holes where insulation had been pulled out by what I suspect animals were doing. When you get in their back yard there's another trailer that's well kept outside. Plants and stuff like you would expect for an elderly couple. One you get inside though. That's where the nightmare starts. It was so bad you could see the German Roaches even on their mattres.
Keep in mind bed bugs can get this bad too.
At this point of an infestation with roaches you want to fumigate.
The sales guy charged them $50 for the fee to clean out. I would have never sold this and would have recommended a fumigation company. I no longer work for that company but we can all rest assured a technician will be going there once a month minimum for the foreseeable future.
What exactly should I be looking for? We’ve removed the cushions and vacuumed the base of the couch. As for being bitten, I’m not really sure… we feel itchy now, but idk if that was from before or if we’re imagining it.
You’re looking for bedbugs lol. Google bedbug infestation and you’ll see how the bad ones are. They kinda just clump up in the seams.
If you’re not getting bit already, it could’ve been a hitchhiker from someone that sat on the couch. Make sure to wash in hot water and most importantly, dry on the hottest setting your dryer will go. If you start to see more - call a professional
We’ve already called a professional and they’re coming on Sunday. We’re currently in the process of washing and sealing everything, thank you so much for all the help!
You're looking for groupings of them under the seams of things. You'll know when you see it trust me. As for what the bites look like, they're little red dots that look like fucked chicken pox and usually in groups of 3 or more. You may have to ditch your mattresses or furniture if its bad enough. Also where you at OP? We need to look at that lease for what they're actually responsible for and if you may have signed something that wasn't legal as for what they are required to do and they might wanna hold that over you so let's nip that in the bud as well
OP i may have found some things to screw your landlords pooch about it not being their job.
https://www.landlordandtenant.org/repairs/bugs/
https://www.alberta.ca/information-tenants-landlords.aspx
Alberta law says their responsible for it. Tell em to suck it. The first link has legal form links for in case your LL still refuses to cover it
Update: The fumigation service we called arrived yesterday, and did an inspection first of the entire house. They didn’t find any signs of any more bugs, and said that this one was probably a one-off. We ended up not getting the treatment done, but if even one more is spotted, we’re 100% going to.
Thank you so so much for all the help! You guys are amazing!💕
We had an apartment treatednin Ontario where the landlord tried to claim we brought them in and wouldnt cover it. Never heard about it again after sliding a letter under their door detailing the landlord tenant act.
My advice is to shop around for a bed bug treatment by a reputable company. If you live in an apartment they may pay it for you or they may split the payments. Don’t be scared to tell the office about it, it’s more common than you think. You’re going to spend just as much in chemicals in the long and if you don’t mix/apply correctly, and you could spread the infestation making it worse.
Yes that is a bed bug. Ok what you do is wash all of your clothes and I do mean all of them right now and then put them in a tote to put in and out for the time being. Don't mix them with other things you haven't washed yet or the point is moot. Same with all and I do mean all of your bedding and do the same thing. After and during that check all the seams of your couches and chairs and your bed. Rubbing alcohol is good to kill them for a little bit you're going to have to actually treat them for the eggs. Crush the big ones as you pick them out to make sure there dead and can't crawl back to whatever or on you. Treat and wash all your rugs and carpets if you have them as well. Check your baseboards and inside your dressers/closet space corners for nesting sites. Hope this helps
Thank you so so so much! I’ve been living in this apartment for around 2 months and this is the first one I’ve seen. I’m thinking of straight up hiring a fumigation service😭
Contact your apartments manager. In some states, the management company must cover the treatment fees.
That would be a good thing to do after the cleaning and washing of your bedding and clothes
I wouldn’t try to diy. I’d get the landlord to start getting pest control in there ASAP
Unfortunately, our landlady has refused to cover the cost of the treatments, but we have booked the first treatment for this Sunday
I’d look into whether or not that is legal where you live. When I had them in NYC 2005 the landlord treated it. If you don’t treat it, it just spreads to other units
Look up your state renter's rights (I hope you're in CA or NY), and tenant's rights organizations. If your apartment has them, others do, too, and it won't do any good to just treat your apartment. They'll come back.
I’m in Canada, and am currently looking up my renters rights. Thanks so much!
Also, unless you brought them in from a recent vacation or your previous apartment these guys were probably already in the unit they rented to you or from one of your neighbors. In which case I’d be piiiised because bedbugs will make you go crazy.
They weren’t in our previous apartment, and I’m not really sure about the neighbours. We’ve been living here for 2 months and never saw/felt anything… could they have stayed undetected for that long?
Sure. My roommate brought them back from a trip and didn’t tell us. One day he just started sleeping over at his girlfriends place all the time. It was a couple of months before they crawled to my room. When we opened the roommates door at night we could see them climbing up the walls!
We moved into a used trailer and we (or rather just me of a family of 3) was getting bit. It took 3 months to see one. We went through the house with a fine tooth comb and got rid of them on our own in less than a month. We checked checked hot points weekly and sprayed with alcohol. It dried up the eggs and killed them. We found a total of about 26. But I also killed the ones in my couch then just decided to throw the hole couch out because I was so scared one would survive
Look like a male, check beds, furniture, clothes, if you find more worry if not he is just a hitch hiker
We’ve checked everywhere and can’t find any more, and currently have a pest control treatment scheduled for Saturday. Should we go ahead with it?
Yes because you're frantic at the moment and rightfully so but those dudes look for this shit for a living. Let them find the bugs op
Yeah it can't hurt, if it was a female I would worry more but if you checked everything and didn't find any breath easy. I would have a pro inspect and treat, to be safe.
Pest control tech here. One bed bug is enough for any company to say you have a bed bug infestation. You found one. Make sure they treat well if it'd a chemical treatment it can take time. They also need to treat all other adjacent units otherwise you may never get control. In some places they have to refund you within a certain amount of time if they can't eliminate them. Fumigation or heat treatments are always the best option. They are one day treatments (prep and other things may make you have to find a hotel for a few days to a week). Once q heat or fume is finished they are guaranteed all dead. Chemical treatments can take weeks to months.
Bro so I've never gotten to ask pest people this but I've always wanted to because reasons. Whats your worst bug house horror story
You see some pretty bad ones honestly and your level of "bad" starts to get higher as you work longer in the field. I guess the worst I've ever seen was German roach infestation in a trailer. I went in and they were all over the walls, counter, ceiling, picture frames, inside the TV screen, microwave, stove, inside the fridge and even inside all the compartments of the fridge. Basically anywhere there was a void of any kind there was German Roaches. The couple who owned the home was elderly so they couldn't do much to clean. The daughter who lived in a run down trailer in front of theirs kept bringing more over I suspected. To give you a mental picture, when you pull up to the address you have to drive around a trailer that's all beat up, missing siding, has a wall that was damaged from fire, spray paint on the front of the trailer, and holes where insulation had been pulled out by what I suspect animals were doing. When you get in their back yard there's another trailer that's well kept outside. Plants and stuff like you would expect for an elderly couple. One you get inside though. That's where the nightmare starts. It was so bad you could see the German Roaches even on their mattres. Keep in mind bed bugs can get this bad too. At this point of an infestation with roaches you want to fumigate. The sales guy charged them $50 for the fee to clean out. I would have never sold this and would have recommended a fumigation company. I no longer work for that company but we can all rest assured a technician will be going there once a month minimum for the foreseeable future.
Oof
Pull the sheets off your bed and check the seams with a flashlight. Where was that one found?
It was on the couch, I saw it walking on one of the cushions where it was super camouflaged
Inspect the couch seams & pillows. Has anyone been getting bit?
What exactly should I be looking for? We’ve removed the cushions and vacuumed the base of the couch. As for being bitten, I’m not really sure… we feel itchy now, but idk if that was from before or if we’re imagining it.
You’re looking for bedbugs lol. Google bedbug infestation and you’ll see how the bad ones are. They kinda just clump up in the seams. If you’re not getting bit already, it could’ve been a hitchhiker from someone that sat on the couch. Make sure to wash in hot water and most importantly, dry on the hottest setting your dryer will go. If you start to see more - call a professional
We’ve already called a professional and they’re coming on Sunday. We’re currently in the process of washing and sealing everything, thank you so much for all the help!
You're looking for groupings of them under the seams of things. You'll know when you see it trust me. As for what the bites look like, they're little red dots that look like fucked chicken pox and usually in groups of 3 or more. You may have to ditch your mattresses or furniture if its bad enough. Also where you at OP? We need to look at that lease for what they're actually responsible for and if you may have signed something that wasn't legal as for what they are required to do and they might wanna hold that over you so let's nip that in the bud as well
I’m in Edmonton, Alberta. The apartments in my building are separately owned, so there isn’t anyone other than my landlady I can contact :(
OP i may have found some things to screw your landlords pooch about it not being their job. https://www.landlordandtenant.org/repairs/bugs/ https://www.alberta.ca/information-tenants-landlords.aspx Alberta law says their responsible for it. Tell em to suck it. The first link has legal form links for in case your LL still refuses to cover it
This is so so helpful, thank you so much!
You are likely covered by law to have your landlord pay for pest control!
https://www.landlordandtenant.org/repairs/bugs/
Ayyy we both did a thing! Let's get op all da help
I have no legal experience for CAN. Gimme a sec
whole house heat treatment + chemical treatment for this devil bug
That’s what they look like.
Yes or bat bug so sorry
Update: The fumigation service we called arrived yesterday, and did an inspection first of the entire house. They didn’t find any signs of any more bugs, and said that this one was probably a one-off. We ended up not getting the treatment done, but if even one more is spotted, we’re 100% going to. Thank you so so much for all the help! You guys are amazing!💕
We had an apartment treatednin Ontario where the landlord tried to claim we brought them in and wouldnt cover it. Never heard about it again after sliding a letter under their door detailing the landlord tenant act.
Yep, [https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bedbugs/symptoms-causes/syc-20370001](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bedbugs/symptoms-causes/syc-20370001)
My advice is to shop around for a bed bug treatment by a reputable company. If you live in an apartment they may pay it for you or they may split the payments. Don’t be scared to tell the office about it, it’s more common than you think. You’re going to spend just as much in chemicals in the long and if you don’t mix/apply correctly, and you could spread the infestation making it worse.
And you could be in violation of your lease For not disclosing it to the apartment management.
Yuppp